Chelmsford Cathedral AGM PRESENTATION AND REPORT BY THE DEAN at the - - PDF document

Chelmsford Cathedral AGM PRESENTATION AND REPORT BY THE DEAN at the 9.30 am and 11.15 services at the Cathedral

• n Sunday, 12 April 2015

INTRODUCTION From this morning’s Gospel reading: When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his

• side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be

with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ John 20.19-21 This is the perfect text for us this morning as we look at the mission of Chelmsford Cathedral. On the evening of the first Easter Day, Jesus, the wounded risen saviour, empowers the disciples and sends them out to be instruments of peace and reconciliation. With that as the overall message, I want to look at three things today:

• What is the cathedral used for?
• What is our mission “field”, or even what are our mission fields?
• How do we use our resources in the service of our mission?

And throughout I’ll be referring to our 2014 statistics to illustrate the theme. 1 WHAT IS THE CATHEDRAL USED FOR? This is a useful question as it helps us to identify what goes on here. There are various ways we could analyse this, but the simplest is probably the one we are currently using to develop funding

• applications. This suggests that there are three ways in which the cathedral is used:
• Cathedral as WORSHIP space
• Cathedral as PUBLIC space
• Cathedral as CULTURAL space

In a variety of ways these three over lap, but they are a useful lens through which to look at the

• perational life of the cathedral, what happens day by day.

1.1 Cathedral as WORSHIP space This is the way most of us naturally think about the cathedral, and each day is framed by prayer and

• worship. For members of our thriving Sunday congregations it may be that Sunday worship is our

main experience of the Cathedral and its ministry. Last year saw total visitors and attendances of 101,169. And it is probably not surprising that worship accounts for over two thirds of our total visitors and attendances in 2014 (70,870). But it is also worth noting that regular Sunday worship accounts for less than a fifth of the overall total (19,779). 1.2 Cathedral as PUBLIC space Increasingly – and maybe quite surprisingly in our apparently secular context – cathedrals are becoming important as public space. This may be for a conference, an information day, corporate

• hospitality. A huge range of activities. A few years’ ago the nave of Liverpool Cathedral was the

Chelmsford Cathedral – an apostolic (SENT) community Jesus says: ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ John 20.21 2 setting for the launch of the Range Rover Evoke. We are part of this story – though only at the beginning of it. Out of a total of 101,169, 2014 registered 26,225 such visits and attendances to do with PUBLIC SPACE, including 18,083 (a minimum number) people who simply came into the cathedral for no stated reason – simply to be in this extraordinary space. 1.3 Cathedral as CULTURAL space The recent major report From Anecdote to Evidence identified cultural activities as a very significant way in which an increasing number of people engage with cathedrals nationally. This has been an important part of our history here at Chelmsford – in a typical week in term time as many people come to concerts at the Cathedral as to Sunday worship; and Friday is regularly the busiest day of the week. Cultural activity includes lectures, talks and exhibitions as well as our core musical

• fferings.

Out of a total of 101,169 In 2014 visits to the cathedral for cultural activities accounted for 15,486 attendances. Here is the first VENN DIAGRAM:

Cathedral Worship Public Cultural

Chelmsford Cathedral – an apostolic (SENT) community Jesus says: ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ John 20.21 3 2 What is our mission “field”? This is another way of asking the question “what is the Cathedral FOR?” rather than “what does the cathedral DO?” (although of course we want the answers to both those questions to be quite close to one another!) If we look at it this way, we will see a different picture. Here are three more headings, all arising from the Dean’s Big Question and the Dean’s Round Table:

• Cathedral as PARISH CHURCH
• Cathedral as home to THRIVING CONGREGATIONS
• Cathedral as BISHOP’S CHURCH

Those of you who have been part of the Round Table conversations will know that the third – Bishop’s Church – has proved so far the most difficult to grapple with, but let’s get there by steps. 2.1 Cathedral as PARISH CHURCH Parish Church is part of our DNA, and the largest single group of English Cathedrals are like us – “parish church cathedrals”. What does this mean? It means quite simply that the cathedral – alongside its other ministries and responsibilities – has specific responsibility for the geographical area in which it is set. Where a cathedral is not a parish church, there is normally a major local parish church with which the cathedral has a significant relationship delivering this parish ministry. To get this right we need to be clear about the word “parish”. Many people – including some clergy – use the word “parish” to mean “congregation”. In the Church of England this is not (and never has been) what the word “parish” means. Rather in the Church of England it means (and has always meant) the geographical area that the church is there to serve. Behind that lies a serious theology of place: that the people and networks of the surrounding area have a claim on the ministry of the local church, regardless of their own faith and convictions, and that the local church has a responsibility to the people and networks of the surrounding area. So to be a “parish church cathedral” means that – alongside all the ministries that go with being a cathedral – we have the responsibility and privilege of being a transforming presence in the networks

• f the city centre, the schools, the university, the City Council, the County Council, the Courts, the

Police Station, the Fire Station, the Railway Station, the pubs and clubs and retail centres. And of course that means we are the church for those who live in our parish – currently over 3,700 people (2011 census), and rising fast as new housing is built. It is a population with a very clear profile: 3,700 residents and rising:

• very few people over 65 or under 16;
• the largest group is 15 – 29 year olds;
• with a lower than average (15%) minority ethnic population;
• 55% of the population say they are Christian;
• 46% of households are families
• a surprising 41% are single people
• significantly higher level of qualifications than the national average
• significant pockets of poverty and deprivation.

That is a brief pen portrait of our parish as a key mission field for us as Chelmsford Cathedral.

Chelmsford Cathedral – an apostolic (SENT) community Jesus says: ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ John 20.21 4 And here is the map of our parish: It is possible to talk in numbers – our stats for 2014 suggest 28,151 (including baptisms, weddings, funerals, etc). But of course our ministry as parish church is mostly not seen within the walls of this building but on the streets of our community and the networks of our city. I’d suggest that it is an area of our mission field that deserves more of our time, our attention and

• ur resources in order to fulfil this significant part of our ministry.

Chelmsford Cathedral – an apostolic (SENT) community Jesus says: ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ John 20.21 5 2.2 Cathedral as home to THRIVING CONGREGATIONS This is the aspect of the cathedral’s life which is probably most familiar to all of us – the worship and community life around our Sunday morning gatherings, and around our smaller weekday gatherings. This also includes learning groups, work with children and young people, etc. In terms of the numbers, we are one of the four largest congregations in the diocese; we have excellent work with children. Indeed, one of the things we are known for in the wider networks of the community is the excellence of our work with children and young families, which is why this important ministry has grown so fast over the last three years. And in 2014 we saw 39,389 attendances at congregational worship and events. But again, this all spills out into every part of our life. Both in relation to our role as parish church and as home to thriving congregations, it is worth stressing the importance of the elections next Saturday. The congregations elect:

• the 6 churchwardens, who are the key lay leaders;
• 6 representatives to the Congregational Council, who have a real opportunity to bring new

life and purpose to what should be a very significant group in the life of the cathedral;

• ne current or former warden to be a member of Chapter. This is really important – the
• nly member of the Cathedral’s governing body elected by and representing the views of the

congregations 2.3 Cathedral as BISHOP’S CHURCH I have already suggested that this is the theme we struggle with most. But it is fundamental to the whole enterprise we are involved in here. We are a cathedral simply because we are the Bishop’s Church, and that is why the Bishop’s cathedra is here, his seat. This ministry is partly about the Bishop coming here to do things, but that is only a relatively small part. I would suggest there are at least two other clear aspects to this key role:

• the cathedral as the spiritual heart of the diocese – therefore a place of prayer for the

Bishop and the work of the diocese, the natural “home” for major diocesan services and events, and so forth

• the cathedral at the service of the networks of the diocese, and in particular sharing in the

ministry of a Bishop who puts teaching and evangelism at the heart of his work. In terms of the first of these we can put a figure on it: 51,268. That means the cathedral as Bishop’s Church accounts for over half the total visits and attendances at the cathedral across the board in 2014. But of course in terms of the second – our role as cathedral for the diocese – that all happens out there on the networks of parishes and deaneries. An emblem of this is that for nearly 100 years the Cathedral has been entrusted with St Peter’s Chapel, Bradwell – the only other church which is for the diocese rather than for a specific locality (and also the only church at which the Bishop regularly leads worship on Easter Day!) The Mission Event of 12 October has been an important piece of learning for all of us – that sense that the cathedral is fundamentally (as in this morning’s Gospel) and sent community: ‘Peace be with

• you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ This is part of the daily life of the cathedral –

cathedrals, after all, deliver much of their core mission through the strength of their networks.

Chelmsford Cathedral – an apostolic (SENT) community Jesus says: ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ John 20.21 6 I realise that the Cathedral as Bishop’s Church for the Diocese has not been high up the agenda here in the past, but – as we shall see in a minute – it is important that we recognise that it is the only reason we are staffed as we are, and the only reason that we are funded as we are. For now I simply want to refer back to the summary of the role of the new Dean outlined in the public paperwork in the early autumn of 2013. In summary, as their primary task the new Dean was asked to re-connect the Cathedral

• with the city
• with the diocese
• with the Bishop’s ministry.

And, in a passage that many of you have heard me use before: “The main challenge for the next dean is to stretch the vision of what a parish church cathedral might be, to encourage people to reach out from an existing comfort zone to explore a wider role as cathedral for diocese and community and to have the courage to move forward with this

• vision. This, in summary, is the role of the next dean.”

Here is another VENN DIAGRAM:

Cathedral 101,000 TOTAL Bishop's Church 51,268 Thriving Congrgations 39,389 Parish Church 28,151

Chelmsford Cathedral – an apostolic (SENT) community Jesus says: ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ John 20.21 7 3 How do we use our resources in the service of our mission? This is a critical question. In any organisation, but especially in a Christian community, our resources need to be clearly aligned with our mission, what we are here to do. Our resources here at Chelmsford Cathedral include:

• First people:
• above all our teams of gifted volunteers, without whom we simply could not begin

to function, let alone achieve what we do

• Our team of 15 paid lay staff
• The clergy team of four paid priests and one self supporting priest
• Our networks, which include parish, city, civic, cathedral, county, east London, diocese,

regional and national

• Our buildings – the cathedral itself, Chapter House, the Cathedral Office and the Guy

Harlings estate, unique features of our environment

• Our financial resources which, as we shall see, have a direct impact of every aspect of our

ability to meet the challenges of our mission and obligations In this section – whilst keeping all four of these categories in mind – I want to talk particularly about people and money. Before moving on to clergy and paid lay staff, can I just re-iterate what I have just said about our volunteers? The daily life of the cathedral would be completely unsustainable without our volunteers, who support in so many practical ways the cathedral as it seeks to be a thriving, outward facing community, and enable us to fulfil our core mission. Let’s quickly have a look at stipendiary clergy and paid lay staff, because that tells us something important. Every cathedral in the Church of England gets a Dean and two “commissioners” canons free, at no cost to the cathedral. The Dean is the leader of the cathedral community as a whole but has a series

• f diocesan responsibilities, and here – as in almost every other cathedral – delegates his

responsibilities for liturgy and for pastoral care to the commissioners canons. Many deans, including my predecessor, had national roles too. Maybe the neatest way of describing the role of the Dean is

• f the Cathedral for the Diocese.

Each Cathedral – in consultation with the Bishop – is free to use the commissioners canons in whatever way they wish, as long as they are wholly occupied on the work of the cathedral – i.e. the wide ranging mission that has already been described of parish church, home to thriving congregations, and Bishop’s Church seeking to serve Essex and East London. Here at Chelmsford we are very fortunate to have a third canon who is 50% cathedral and 50%

• diocese. On the balance sheet that as a community means we pay for half of Edward, the only

contribution we make as a cathedral to clergy costs. And we have a self supporting priest. It is worth emphasising this for a moment. Our neighbouring church of All Saints, Springfield has an income from congregational giving of £107,000. It pays a parish share to the diocese for the costs of ministry of £109,000. That means for all the other costs of running a sizeable church they rely on £48,000 of income from other sources. All Saints has one stipendiary priest, so their share is paying for one and half priests in poorer parishes. By contrast, we have an income from congregational giving of £150,000. We pay no direct contribution to the costs of ministry in the diocese at all. And our other sources of income in 2014 were £800,000. That contrast tells us an important story: we are funded in this way precisely because we a cathedral – the national church’s free gift to the diocese. We see the same pattern

Chelmsford Cathedral – an apostolic (SENT) community Jesus says: ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ John 20.21 8 with the core lay staff of the cathedral: they are funded by a further grant from the national church – again to be a cathedral for a diocese. A typical parish church our size might be able to afford 2 – 3 part time staff. We have 15 – not because we are profligate but because of the scope of our mission, the size of our mission fields. We fund other operational staff from lettings income and other voluntary income. So what about congregational giving? While our total income over the last five years has risen steadily by £167,000 to £950,000, our congregational giving has remained more or less static at £150,000 over the same period – with a modest rise in 2012 – 13 in response to Ivor’s appeal for the Youth Project but then dropping back to its previous level. This is important because congregational giving significantly supports the ministry for the

• congregation. I am saying this now as it is important background to the giving campaign later in the
• year. Yes – we give because we give because we give in response to the generosity of God.

But our congregational giving supports e.g. the whole of our work with children and young people (£36,329 – which includes Tim’s salary), half of Edward (£20,400), adult education (£432), hospitality (£7,404), and other activities (£346), charitable giving (£11,202), office staff costs relating directly to congregational activities (£49,745), plus the costs of music and services for congregational worship

• n Sundays (£24,208).

That comes to £150,000 – i.e. the total of all our congregational giving. As a result, we are using

• ther funds for a range of congregational activities and the congregational giving makes no

contribution to heating and lighting, the vergers, and the basic running costs of the cathedral. All that again is at no cost to the congregation. It would be great to see this change, to see congregational giving grow to more realistic levels. A church such as ours, a cathedral such as ours should be in a position to expand what it spends on congregational and parish ministry rather than contract it. That is a challenge for the future. 4 CONCLUSION We have to learn to think of the cathedral as not so much riding several horses at once, but having complex DNA. Parish church is in our DNA. Thriving congregations are in our DNA. Bishop’s Church is in our DNA. Together they tell us both about the shape of our mission and where our mission fields lie. When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ John 20.19-21